Echoes in the Wind
by Willara4ever
Summary: Over a hundred years ago, a curse was placed on Willow Rosenberg, ensuring that she would live forever until she made peace with her dead lover. Now waiting for her chance to reunite with Tara, Willow has watched her friends and family die. Turning to a life of solitude, Willow waits out her life, hoping to stumble upon her soul mate. Disclaimer: I do not own any Buffy characters.
1. Prologue: 2102

**Prologue: 2102**

Drifting through the ruined streets around her, Willow Rosenberg let her thoughts turn to the past. After many years, Willow didn't know what it was to love anymore. Losing Tara had destroyed her. When she turned evil and killed Warren and Rack, she had lost herself even further in the darkness, nearly killing her friends and ending the world. Xander had stopped her and with Giles' help, she managed to regain control of the dark magicks and help Buffy stop another apocalypse.

When the First had been defeated, Willow had went off to help Buffy and Xander protect the world. A few years later, she ran into an angry dark witch who with the help of Amy, managed to curse Willow. Willow was to never age until she found her soul mate once more, therefore watching those she love die around her. Along with eternal youth, Willow was unable to show her true self, she was stuck in the form of her darker persona.

As Willow struggled everyday with living, she searched every face for Tara, hoping to find her true love and live once more.

Willow closed her eyes as she remembered the pain of watching her friends grow old and pass on. She was grateful that Buffy lived longer than many though possible. Making it to her 40s, Buffy married and had two children, a daughter, Joyce Danielle, and a son, Liam. Xander and Dawn after a rough patch, fell in love and married, giving birth to two daughters, Anya and Tara, and a son, Jesse. Giles, lived until he was in his late 50s before dieing in a battle against Angelus. Faith and Robin stayed together for a few years, before Faith ended it and decided to try out the single life. It lasted about two months before she found another guy and surprisingly, fell in love. She married him and later died in battle with Buffy, leaving behind a son.

Willow herself had ended her relationship with Kennedy a few years after closing the hellmouth, and had a brief relationship with a demon before deciding to be alone. She was there for her friends through out everything, even helping their children after their passing, but losing them destroyed Willow. Now she no longer spoke to the outside world, except for a phone call once in a while to check on her family. She knew that her friends would want her to keep them safe, and she did.

As Willow hid in the dark, she would look out on the world around her and watch the smiling faces of those around her, knowing that they could not know the darkness that would engulf them if it had the chance. Her own darkness struggled to be free, enjoying Willow's pain. As she stared into the crowd around her, Willow's thoughts went to her lost love.

_Tara_. The one word brought hope to Willow every time she'd search the crowd. Because she knew if she could find her, then she could finally be at peace. Finally grow old and die with the one she loved. Though with the curse, she knew it'd be nearly impossible to convince Tara to love her again. She knew that Tara could never love the darker version of herself.

* * *

**A/N: I do not own any of the Buffy characters. I really hope you enjoy this new story idea. Hopefully it turns out like I hope it will. **


	2. Chapter One: Seeing Her Again

**Chapter One: Seeing Her Again**

Drifting through the darkness, Willow was surprised to find the world was so quiet. No activity of any kind seemed to be going on. Few vampires were hunting, most humans were still in doors, and Willow was feeling restless. She knew that something bad was about to happen, but couldn't figure out what kind of apocalypse was going to coming.

Watching the few people drift through the streets, Willow frowned as she felt something inside her draw her to a house on the corner of the street. She could feel her soul drawn here and looked at the unfamiliar building before her. Frowning, Willow looked into the window of the home to see a family sitting down for dinner.

She watched as they bowed their heads in prayer. Watched as they started eating and talking silently to one another. Her eyes traveled over each one of the faces, until Willow stiffened at the familiar sight of a blond with her head still bowed as though in prayer, her hair covering her face.

Gasping, Willow stared at the girl, willing her to lift her head so she could see her face. Wanting to look upon the familiar face that she knew would be hidden behind the golden locks. Watching her carefully, Willow awaited for any sign that this was who she was waiting for. She wanted to see the face that she had missed for so long, but part of her knew that this wasn't the time.

Stepping back into the shadows, Willow turned her back on the family and headed back to her own house, knowing better than to give into what she felt. She felt her heart restart inside her chest, knowing with everything she was that Tara was back. She was finally back.

Walking though her front door, Willow looked at the darkness she had surrounded herself with since the death of her friends. She was surprised with how little she let herself see the light of day, no longer letting the sun touch her pale skin.

"Willow?" The sound of the familiar voice behind her caught her attention as Willow turned to face Angel and Spike.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Red?" Spike asked, taking a drag from his cigarette as he noticed the change in the witch.

Willow frowned at the former platinum haired vampire, but let the statement go, knowing Spike was just being Spike. Turning to the dark haired vampire, Willow took a deep breath before speaking. "She's back," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly at the strangeness of feeling Tara again. "She's back."

Angel frowned at Willow's words before stepping towards her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I saw her. She was eating dinner with her family. Something drew me to her house. As soon as I saw her, I knew it was her. I should have known it was her drawing me there," Willow said, her voice still barely a whisper.

Spike shrugged. "So your bird's back? Shouldn't that be good news?"

"Normally it would be, but it's Tara. She was so good. The light in the darkness. And know here I am, covered in darkness, and I don't know what to do. If she had known this side of me first, she would never have given me half a chance. But she didn't. She knew me, the real me. Now here we are again, and she doesn't know Willow. She's just going to see the Darkness. The darkness that consumed me so many times. What if she can't see past this? What if she only see's the evil and doesn't look for the good like she use to? She may not even love me this time around," Willow said, surprising the two vampires before her. "What?" she asked, noticing the look of confusion on both of their faces.

"Haven't heard you babble in over a century, Red. It's a little surprising to hear it now."

Thinking back on everything she had said, Willow smiled slightly. "She's already effecting me, and we haven't even talked yet." Lifting her head to look at Angel, Willow looked at her best friend's first love. "What would you do?"

"If it was Buffy?" Angel asked, waiting for Willow to nod. "I'd do what I can to win her back. I lost my chance when I left for LA and again when I killed Giles as Angelus. But if she was back, I'd prove to her we belonged together."

Willow nodded, closing her eyes as she tried to calm her nerves. "I can't remember the last time I felt like this," she muttered.

"That's what happens when your immortal, Red. You forget what some emotions feel like until they come out of nowhere."

Willow closed her black eyes and glanced at the now brown haired vampire. "You're right. Surprisingly Spike, your actually right."

Spike frowned at Willow's comment before looking at Angel. "How can we help?" Angel asked, knowing Willow would need them if she was ever going to be at peace again.

"I don't know." Whispering the statement, Willow turned from them and walked up the stairs to her room. Closing her eyes, she sat down on the edge of her bed, letting her thoughts break through her.

Seeing a familiar picture on her nightstand. Willow reached over and picked it up. Looking down at the smiling faces of herself, Xander, and Buffy, Willow frowned as she felt sadness over come her once more. "I need you, Buffy," Willow whispered, looking down at the picture in her hands. "I don't think I can do this alone. I always thought that she'd come back when you were still here, but she didn't. And now, I don't even have you here to help me find my way. I need you more than I ever realized." As a bloody looking tear slid down Willow's cheek, Willow wiped it away before closing her eyes. "I need my best friend to help me."

"Willow?" Lifting her head, Willow saw Angel standing in her doorway and quickly wiped another bloody tear from her cheek.

"I'm okay," she whispered, looking away from him.

Ignoring her comment, Angel walked into the room and gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "She will love you," Angel said, unsure of how to convince Willow what he wasn't even positive about.

"You don't know that, Angel. I'm not the Willow she once loved. I'm not even close to being that Willow anymore."

"But a part of you is still Willow. You still have the good heart, and the babbling came back," Angel pointed out, hoping to make her smile.

"The Willow she fell in love with was full of good. She was an innocent, who fought evil. She wasn't a murderer," Willow reminded him, turning to face him. "Tara couldn't love someone that took a human life."

"Even if that human had murdered her?"

"Angel, she could never forgive me for that. She could never forgive me for killing someone, nor nearly destroying the world."

"That wasn't you," Angel said, hating seeing her punish herself.

"Yes it was. I was in control when I killed Warren," Willow responded, looking away.

"But not when you tried to destroy the world," Angel pointed out, watching her.

"Yes I was," Willow said, surprising Angel. "Yes I was."


	3. Chapter Two: Truth Be Told

**Chapter Two: Truth Be Told**

Angel stared at Willow in confusion. "What do you mean 'Yes, you were,'? Willow, I thought you lost control of the magicks when you tried to destroy the world?"

"I did, but I still knew what I was doing. The magicks that Giles gave me was enough that I could have gotten control and stopped the seductive whispers of the magicks, but I didn't care enough to stop it. Without Tara my world was nothing but darkness. Why would I want to live in darkness?" Willow asked, looking at her oldest friend.

Angel reached out and pulled Willow into a hug, holding her close to him. Willow was the only person that Angel had hugged in almost a century, refusing to allow anyone else to mean as much to him as Buffy once had.

Willow allowed herself to accept the comfort, even knowing that she didn't deserve it. Not after what she did, not after her addiction to magic had resulted in not only her love's death, but her own curse.

After the thought came to her, Willow pulled away from Angel and walked over to look out the window into the darkness that always surrounded her home. She had chosen the one house that sunlight would never reach for her own punishment. She didn't deserve to live in the light, not after everything. She belonged in the darkness like all the other evil creatures walking the earth.

Willow looked back at Angel. "I should have died with them, Angel," Willow whispered, grieving for her friends once more. "I should have died in battle beside them."

"There's a reason your still alive, Will. The Powers That Be must have some plan for you."

"Eternal suffering," Willow muttered, turning her back to him.

"No. Something good," Angel offered, hoping to make his friend feel somewhat better.

"Angel, the only thing the Powers That Be ever gave me was my soul mate dead in my arms and eternal suffering until I find her and convince her to love me," Willow said, looking at the picture of her and Tara holding each other sitting on the nightstand.

"That wasn't the PTB. That was Warren, Amy, and some random witch that did that to you."

Willow stiffened and slowly turned to look at Angel, her black eyes hardening before she spoke. "They didn't stop it. They didn't care to intervene and prevent any of that. They could have saved Tara, and I never would have given into the dark magicks. They could have stopped me from killing Warren, but they didn't. They let Tara die in my arms. They let me fall beneath the dark magicks and skin Warren alive. They stood by while Amy and her friend cursed me for eternity and made it so I watched my friends and family die."

"I'm sorry, Willow. I know it's hard. I lived through it too, longer than you have," he reminded her, hoping to give comfort but instead infuriating her.

"No you don't, Angel. You choose to become a vampire and live for eternity. You choose to kill your family while you were that vampire. You may not have asked for a soul, but you wanted the rest of it. I didn't. The only thing I choose for myself was learning the magicks. Now I'm stuck as a monster for the rest of the world to see my darkness. I didn't ask for this curse, Angel. I didn't ask to live forever in darkness while those I love died. I didn't choose this life," Willow whispered, her anger evaporating as she realized just how much her life had changed since she innocently started working magic.

Angel walked up behind Willow touching her shoulder. "You're right. I did choose to become a vampire because I wanted to see the world and live forever. I didn't know what it would mean, but I didn't care. Now I know. Now I care," he told her. "I'd give anything to go back and change my decision. Maybe then, Buffy would be alive and you wouldn't have gotten involved in magic."

"Angel, if you hadn't become a vampire, we all would have died so much sooner," she reminded him, looking at the ground. "You saved us so many times," she told him.

"Yeah, but the vampires I turned and the ones they turned wouldn't be here. Spike wouldn't have killed those other slayers, and Buffy may not have become a slayer," he whispered, feeling guilty.

"You don't know that. Angel, there's so many things I could have done differently before. I could have stayed away from magic all together. I could have just loved Tara and not become obsessed with magic. I could have just let Buffy stay in heaven and not bring her back with dark magicks. There was so much stuff that we could have done differently, but it doesn't matter. We can't change anything. I'm just throwing a pity party," she said, giving him a forced smile.

The smile didn't reach her eyes, just like all the others. Willow's smiles never reached her eyes anymore, not since Tara. After Tara's death, Willow forced many smiles. A few smiles were real, but they never reached her eyes. When Buffy died, Willow rarely let any emotion show, fearing that she'd break if she allowed herself a grain of emotion. After Xander and Dawn's death, Willow finally broke down and cried, but soon pulled herself together and shut herself off to the world, refusing to allow herself to let anyone else into her heart.

The two stood in silence as they remembered the past and their friends. They stayed like that for a while before Willow stiffened and lifted her head to look out the window again.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked, watching Willow.

"Tara," she whispered, as she vanished from the room.

"I hate when she does that," Angel muttered, before running out of the house to help Willow.

* * *

Standing outside Tara's house, Willow felt the anger and fear flowing from the home as she watched from the darkness. She could see people moving around in there, and could hear some of the words being shouted, but she was waiting. She wasn't going to intervene if she didn't need to. She wasn't going to show herself unless she had too.

As she watched, Willow heard a crash sound through the house and recognized it as glass shattering against the wall. Stiffening, Willow felt the fear rise and knew that Tara was afraid. She frowned when the fear grew so much that it nearly brought Willow to her knees. Moving forward, Willow used her magic to throw the door wide open and her anger rose at the sight of Tara pressed to the wall by a man with graying hair and cold blue eyes.

"I suggest," she said, her voice low and dangerous, "that you let her go."

"Who are you?" the man snapped, watching Willow with fear and anger his blue eyes.

"You're worst nightmare," she said, lifting her hand in a "C" shape towards him.

The man's eyes widened as he fell to the ground, holding his throat and coughing.

"Stop, please," a voice begged, causing Willow to turn her head and see an older version of Tara.

Willow stared at the woman before looking at the man and dropping her hand to her side. "Touch her again, and I will kill you," Willow whispered, watching the main for a sign that he understood Willow's words. When he nodded in understanding, Willow turned and started to walk out but her path was blocked by the woman who had begged her to stop.

Willow lifted an eyebrow in question at the woman as she surveyed her. "Willow?" the woman whispered.


	4. Chapter Three: Hidden Side Effects

**Chapter Three: Hidden Side Effects**

"It really is you, isn't it?" the woman asked, staring at Willow in disbelief. "I thought you had died."

"Who are you?" Willow demanded, uncomfortable with being recognized by someone she didn't know.

"Laura. Laura Summers, well Maclay now."

Willow stiffened at the name and tried to remember the woman in front of her. She remembered Laura as a child, a small little girl with golden hair and crystal blue eyes. Liam had been so proud of his daughter, and always said how he wished his Mom was still around so she could see and know her grandchild.

"You're Liam's daughter. Buffy's granddaughter," Willow said, looking at the woman before her in surprise.

"Yes. Dad said you knew Grandma Summers, but he said she died when he was just a child. Aunt Joyce was barely three when she passed. How are you still alive? You look exactly the same as the last time I saw you," Laura explained, feeling confused as she stared at Willow.

"You know this demon?" the man demanded, stepping towards his wife.

"Yes. She was always a friend of the family. Always around when we needed her. I only saw her once or twice."

Willow stood there silently until she remembered something that Laura had said before. "Maclay?" she whispered, before turning to the man. "Are you related to Donnie Maclay and Tara Maclay?"

"Tara is my daughter," he snapped, pointing to the blond with her head bowed, hiding behind her hair.

"Not that one. Tara Maclay, born October 16th, 1980. Died May 7th, 2002."

"She was disowned by my great-grandfather and will not be named in my house again. She turned her back on her family and accepted her demon heritage," the man explained, staring at her.

Willow stiffened at the mention of Tara's supposed demon and took a step forward, her dark eyes filled with rage.

"Willow," Angel's voice, pulled Willow out of the darkness engulfing her and she turned her head towards him surprised to see him standing in the open doorway watching her.

"Angel," Willow responded, anger clear in her voice.

"Don't do anything you'll regret. Think about Warren. Think about what Tara would have wanted you to do. Don't let the anger control you," Angel advised, hoping to get through to her enough that she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Willow nodded and turned back to the man who was her Tara's distant nephew. "There was no demon heritage. You know that. The men in your family just use that word to describe women. So tell me. Have you ever seen a real demon? Have you seen the look in the eyes of a true monster? I can show you. I've been down that road before. I'll take you on a little tour of the darkness inside of me," Willow offered watching the man pale as he stared at her.

"What are you?" he asked, his voice shaking from fear.

"Human. I'm also a witch. What you see before you is the dark magicks inside of me," Willow explained, smiling cruelly at him. "They once took complete control of me and I killed the man who took my lover from me. He killed her so I killed him, slowly. I tortured him. I slowly forced a bullet inside of him. Showing him what he did to her when he took her life. And you know what? I enjoyed ever second of it," Willow said, stepping towards him as the darkness started taking over.

"Willow!" Angel shouted, knowing Willow was losing herself to the magicks.

Spike came up beside Angel, hearing the concern in his voice and wanting to know what caused. "Bloody hell, Red. Get control of yourself," Spike exclaimed, seeing and feeling the darkness inside her grow.

"Invite me in," Angel said, turning to the older blond closest to the door.

"What?" Laura asked, confused.

"Invite me in," Angel repeated, looking from her to Willow who was slowly moving towards the man. "Invite me in or watch her kill him."

"Um...come in," she said, looking at him before turning to Willow again.

As soon as the words left Laura's mouth, Angel rushed over to Willow and grabbed her shoulders. "Damn it Willow. Do not let them control you. You're stronger than them. What would Tara say if she knew you lost yourself to your magicks not once but twice?" Angel shouted at her, watching as the dark eyes slowly lightened until green eyes were looking back at him.

As green locked with brown, Angel relaxed and looked at her. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Willow whispered before turning closing her eyes and take a deep breath. "I need to get out of her. It feels like someone's pulling the darkness out of me, and I have to figure out why."

Angel nodded and grabbed Willow's arm, leading her out of the house and into the streets. They walked silently towards their home and once inside the house, Angel turned to Willow. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I kept feeling like someone was pulling at the darkness inside of me, pulling it forward," Willow explained, feeling uncomfortable at the feeling of the dark magicks clawing at her soul.

"Has this happened before?" Spike asked, coming up to stand on her other side, worried for his friend.

"Once, with The First, but it wasn't this powerful. I think it has to do with the curse. Maybe it's another way for Amy to punish me. If I get close to Tara, I lose control?"

"Would she do that?" Angel asked, not knowing much about Amy except what he had been told.

"Oh course she would. The bloody witch was crazy and wanted Red to suffer."

"How can you break the curse if every time you go near her, you become Dark Willow?"

Willow looked sadly into Angel's eyes, her green eyes darkening back into the familiar black that she used to hide her emotions. "I don't."

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. My mind kept wandering while I was writing and taking the story to random places that I had to fix. Hopefully the chapter didn't turn out too bad because I didn't have a beta for it. Please review and tell me what you think. I live off of reviews. **


	5. Chapter Four: Calling for Help

**Chapter Four: Calling for Help**

"What if we can find a way to control the dark magicks?" Angel asked, looking at Willow for a few moments.

"Angel, you can't control them. I can push them back, but when I get around her, they come out again. There's nothing I can do. She can't love someone so dark. My Tara would never have fallen in love with me if she had met me when I was already going dark. She only stayed with me because she was already in love with me. This Tara would never love this side of me. She'll never love the darkness thats inside of me."

"What if we get help? Giles took you to the coven before to help you regain control. What if we take you back and get their help again?"

"The coven is dead, Angel. They've been dead for over fifty years," Willow reminded him, frowning as she looked out at the blackened sky.

"I thought a new one took their place?" Angel asked, confused.

"A new one did, but they'd take one look at me and attack. They wouldn't wait for an explanation," Willow explained, turning to look at him.

"What can we do, Willow? You don't deserve to suffer for all eternity."

"There's nothing you can do," she whispered, before a sudden thought came to mind. "Unless..." Without finishing her sentence, Willow rushed over to her dresser, pulling out her books and searching for the spell that came to mind.

"Unless what?" Angel asked, suddenly worried about what Willow might do.

"Unless I can get permission to bring the gang back to help me. The Goddess might be feeling generous enough to send at least one of them here to help me stay in control while I'm around Tara."

"Willow, that's spell comes from dark magicks," Angel reminded her, frowning at his friend.

"Not entirely true. If I do the spell without requesting the Goddess's permission it becomes Dark Magicks. I'm just going to ask for passage of their souls. That way I will have not crossed the line between dark and light magicks," Willow explained.

Angel nodded, but continued to frown, worried about what Willow may be doing.

As Willow finished setting up what she'd need for the spell, Angel paced back and forth, getting uncomfortable with each passing second. "Alright. I'm all set. I need you to go downstairs though. If the spell goes wrong, it may cause a big flash of light and you'd become a big pile of dust," Willow said, smiling slightly at Angel.

After a quick nod, Angel left the room, leaving Willow to attempt her spell.

"Goddess, grant me the means to bring forth the spirits of past warriors. Grant me the right to bring them forth once more to fight the battle against the evil inside of me. Allow me the strength to call them forward in time to this place. As I will, so mote it be."

As the spell was finished, Willow cried out as a sharp pain shot throughout her entire body, causing her to fall forward. The sound of footsteps running up the stairs caused her to control herself enough to put a barrier in front of her door, preventing Angel and Spike from entering the room.

"Willow?" Angel shouted from the other side of the door.

"Goddess, grant the passage of the warriors of my past," Willow said, crying out again as the pain shot through her once more.

"You dare ask for such a favor, Dark Witch?" A powerful voice asked inside of Willow's mind.

"Yes. I ask permission to bring them forth. I need my friend's help."

"You're friends have served their purpose. They fought against the darkness many times and have died, allowing their souls to rest," the voice told her, sounding angry.

"Is there anyone I can bring forth to help me?"

"There are two we will allow you to bring back, though they have earned their peace, they have also struggled to pay their debt."

"Please. I need help from my friends," Willow begged, trying to figure out who the goddess was talking about.

"Fine. We will send forth Faith Lehane and Anya Jenkins. They will help you until there is nothing more they can do."

"Thank you," Willow whispered, feeling her body draining from maintaining two spells at once.

"As I will, so mote it be," the goddess said, her voice echoing until it disappeared all together, causing Willow to fall onto the ground as the rest of her strength drained away. She barely noticed the bright flash of light that came as the spell ended.

"Willow?" Angel's voice came again, this time inside the room as he made his way to her. "Will?" he said again, lifting her into his arms as he held her weak body. "What happened?" he asked, seeing her eyes were closed, but knowing she was still conscious.

"It worked," Willow whispered. The goddess granted me permission to bring back two who struggled to repay their debts.

"Who?" Spike asked, looking at Willow worriedly.

Willow didn't answer. She just forced her eyes opened and looked into two sets of very confused eyes before turning her head in the direction of where Anya and Faith stood, looking extremely confused.

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to Gimpy72 for all the help with my stories. **


	6. Chapter Five: Old Friends and New Info

**Chapter Five: Old Friends and New Information**

**Previously in Echoes in the Wind...**

_"It worked," Willow whispered. "The goddess granted me permission to bring back two who struggled to repay their debts."_

_"Who?" Spike asked, looking at Willow worriedly._

_Willow didn't answer. She just forced her eyes opened and looked into two sets of very confused eyes before turning her head in the direction of where Anya and Faith stood, looking extremely confused._

* * *

Angel and Spike turned, following Willow's gaze to Anya and Faith standing across the room.

"Red? Angel?" Faith asked, confused as she looked at the people in front of them. "Spike?" she said, recognizing the last person among the trio.

"Hey, Faith, Anya," Willow said, stepping towards them.

"You're evil again. When did you go evil again? Don't kill us!" Anya said, stepping behind the slayer she was standing near.

"I'm not evil. I'm cursed," she informed the former vengeance demon before looking at Faith. "How much do you remember?"

"Um...we just finished battling The First and were on the road to his place," Faith explained, nodding towards Angel. "She was dead," she said, pointing at Anya. "And so was he," she pointed at Spike.

Willow smiled at Faith's explanation. "Anya did die. So did Spike, but he became a ghost and haunted Angel."

Angel nodded. "He got a mysterious package one day and it returned his body, making him a vampire again."

Faith and Anya stared at them like they were crazy for a long time. "What?" Faith said, lifting a dark brown eyebrow as she watched them.

"A lot of time has passed," Willow said simply.

"Wait...I died. I died in the final battle of Sunnydale?" Anya asked, getting irritated. "Why did I have to die? Why couldn't you die? If you had died, the world wouldn't have to deal with you becoming evil again."

Willow frowned at her. "I'm not evil, Anya. I'm cursed. Amy put a curse on me with the help of another dark witch for killing Rack," Willow explained, getting irritated with the blond.

"Sure. That's what evil people always say," Anya said, still hiding behind the slayer. "They always claim not to be evil. I would know. I was a vengeance demon for over a thousand years."

Faith looked back at Anya in confusion and moved from in front of the ex-demon. "So, you look all dark because of rat girl?" Faith asked, looking at Willow.

"Yes. It's a curse to show the darkness within me. I can't die a mortal death until I find Tara and convince her to love me," Willow explained, her voice filling with irritation.

"And why are we here? What year is this?" Faith wondered, looking between the three people in front of her.

"The year is 2102," Willow told her, not answering the first question.

"Why are we here, Red?" Faith asked, stepping towards the witch.

"I need your help," she said simply.

"With?" Faith prompted, not wanting the former vengeance demon to anger the witch.

"Tara saw me. I think the curse interferes when I'm around her because the dark magicks grew stronger when she was near me."

Anya and Faith stared at her for a few moments uncertain what to say. "You saw Tara?" Anya asked.

"Not the Tara you know, but yes. I found her. I found Tara, but she's not my Tara. They just share a soul," Willow told her, looking at them with sadness in her coal black eyes. "Will you help me?"

Anya and Faith looked at each other and then at Willow. "Yes," they said together.

"Thank you. Angel, Spike, can you give me a few minutes alone with them so I can fill them in on everything?" Willow asked, turning to face the two vampires.

Angel and Spike both nodded, looking at Willow. "You going to be okay?" Angel asked, looking at Willow with concern in his brown eyes.

"I'll be fine. The spell just took a lot out of me," she told him, waiting for him to nod and leave.

When she was alone with Faith and Anya, she turned to look at them. "I'm sorry to bring you both here. I know its strange being pulled to the future at such strange times, but I promise you won't remember being here. I'll make sure you go back like nothing happened so you don't have to know about your deaths or the darkness that is my life without the Scoobies," Willow said, looking at the two women before her.

"Red, how long have you been alone?" Faith asked, looking at her.

"Too long. Though, I'm not technically alone because I have Angel and Spike helping me, but still it was really hard watching everyone I love die. It was hard living these years searching for Tara and thinking of every possible way for her to reject me. Now the one thing I never considered is happening and more scenarios of what could happen are running through my head," Willow said, stopping before she could go into a full out babble.

"You're really not evil?" Anya asked, surprised by the innocence that was Willow showing through the darkness that was familiar to Anya.

"No. I'm not evil. Not anymore, hopefully never again," Willow said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"What did you need to tell us, Red?" Faith asked, walking over to Willow and stopping a few feet from her.

"I'm going to fill you in on everything that has happened since your last memory," Willow informed her, sitting on the edge of her bed as she started her story.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you Gimpy72 for reading the chapter and finding my mistakes. **


	7. Chapter Six: Protection and Problems

**Chapter Six: Protection and Problems**

Two weeks had passed since Willow had brought Anya and Faith back. She was surprised to learn that the Goddess had taken them from two different times. Anya had come back from a few days after Willow herself had left for England. It was why Anya had reacted so badly to seeing Willow's dark magic appearance. Faith however had been brought back from a few days after the battle against The First. Both had been surprised to learn of their futures and they're own deaths along with deaths of their friends.

When Willow explained to Faith about the deaths of Giles and Buffy, Faith had felt betrayed to learn that the vampire she respected had killed Giles. She knew that Giles's death would have destroyed Buffy and probably resulted in the blond's death and her own.

Anya, however, had been a little sad to learn that her relationship with Xander had been once again rekindled and that she had died before they could finish working everything out. She was a little surprised to learn that Xander and Dawn had married and named a child after her, but was also proud to know the man she had always loved, loved her enough to honor her memory.

After Willow had finished telling them everything that had happened, Faith and Anya had asked for time to process what Willow had told them and had went off to let their minds accept the last 100 years. While they accepted the time that had passed, Willow would leave at strange times to keep an eye on Tara, staying at a distance so the blond wouldn't sense her or know she was there.

Willow couldn't chance losing Tara again, not so soon after finding her once again. It was strange to feel that little hole inside her being filled once more, and she knew she wouldn't survive if something ripped her connection to Tara away from her again.

Currently Willow stood in the shadows and watched the blond as she leaned back against a tree, reading a book about spells and the Wiccan religion. Willow recognized the book as one of her Tara's favorites and was curious just how alike this Tara was to her own. As she stared at her soul mate from the darkness of the trees, she watched Tara stiffen for a moment before lifting her head.  
"Who's there?" the blond asked, staring into the trees for a long time before looking around her for any signs that would reveal to her why she felt like someone was watching her.

Willow held her breath, not wanting to give her presence away to the young girl, knowing Tara was afraid of her.

"I know you're there. I can feel you watching me," Tara called out, letting her magicks rise in preparation to protect herself.

_I won't hurt you,_ Willow told her, using the connecting between her mind and Tara's to send the message without Tara seeing her. _I'm here to protect you._

"Why?" Tara asked, looking into the shadows of the trees and trying to make out any form. "Who are you?"

_A friend. Someone who would never let anything happen to you,_ Willow told her, keeping her voice low enough that Tara wouldn't recognize it.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Tara questioned, standing up and starting to back away from the darkening woods before her.

_You don't, but I won't hurt you. I'd never hurt you_, Willow promised, watching Tara slowly back away._ You don't have to leave. I'll go if I'm making you uncomfortable. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I didn't mean to frighten you._

Tara frowned and stopped walking. "Can I see you?"

_No. I have no intention to reveal myself to you. I didn't even want you to know I was here, but that didn't work out_, Willow explained, slowly slipping further into the darkness so she could teleport to her home.

"Why didn't you want me to know you were here?"

_I have my reasons_, was all Willow responded, before breaking the connection and teleporting away from the girl.

* * *

Back in her home, Willow stood in her room by the window, looking out at the world and wondering just how much longer she was going to have to hide from the world and herself. She knew that it would take some time before she could win Tara over, but she didn't know how she was suppose to win the younger girl over.

From all the time she had spent watching over Tara, she had learned a lot of things about her. Small things at first, like her favorite places to go, the type of books she liked, the way she dressed. Then she started learning the more important things, like the face that Tara was about to be turning 17, and her birthday was on October 16th, just like her Tara's. It amazed Willow to know that the reincarnated version of her lover was so similar to the one she knew. It confused her though because she never expected to find her lover when she was still so young.

As she stared out the window lost in thought, Willow didn't hear the door behind her open or the sound of footsteps approaching her. She didn't notice when someone stopped behind her or the feel of power that seemingly became overwhelming until she fell to her knees. She lifted her head, trying to figure out who was so powerful that they could start draining her without effort and frowned at the sight before her. A dark beast stood before her, smiling down at her as it's hands were extended towards her, drawing the dark magicks from her and weakening her body all at once.

Willow looked at the beast, trying to work up enough magicks to stop the monster, but unable to do so. She knew the creature stealing her powers wouldn't kill her, but it'd weaken her until her powers came back. She had learned long ago that she couldn't die. No matter if it was at her own hands or the hands of one of the many beasts that came after her. Whimpering, Willow felt more of her magicks leave her as she fell forward on to her hands, her head hanging as the last bit of her magicks started to leave her body, but stopped suddenly. She forced her head up, only to see Faith fighting the monster before her.

"Willow?" Anya said, kneeling next to her.

Willow turned her head and looked at Anya. "I'm okay," she told the vengeance demon before looking at where Faith was fighting the demon that had attempted to steal her powers.

After a long battle, Faith got her hands around the demon's neck, snapping it and tossing the demon to the ground. "You alright, Red?" Faith asked, walking over to her.

"I'm fine," Willow said, cautiously getting to her feet. "Thank you. It wouldn't have killed me, but it would hurt like hell and weaken me until my powers came back."

"Getting your powers taken wouldn't kill you?" Anya asked, surprised by Willow's words.

"Part of the curse. I can't die until Tara loves me."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you Gimpy72 for helping me by reading this chapter. I'm always grateful for your help. **


	8. Chapter Seven: Plans and Secrets

**Chapter Seven: Plans and Secrets**

Two weeks had passed slowly, Willow's powers had come back in at full strength, and she had asked Anya and Faith to keep an eye on Tara while she was recovering from the demon attack. She had been surprised to learn that over the last few weeks, Faith and Anya had not just kept an eye on Tara, but had befriended her as well.

Anya had been amazed by how similar this Tara was to the one she knew, and Faith had become fond of the shy blonde, with a heart of gold. Willow, after listening to them tell stories of their time with the blonde, was surprised when her heart swelled with love at each word.

Today Willow knew it was time to see her soulmate again. The two weeks away from her had reopened the hole that had closed when she felt her again. Now Willow was standing in the shadow's of the same park, watching again as the reincarnation of her lover sat against the Weeping Willow tree, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the summer breeze.

Willow was breathless at the sight before her, knowing that all she had to do was reach out and trail her fingers along Tara's soft cheek in order to wake the girl, but it wasn't a risk she wanted to take. If Tara saw her again, she'd panic. Willow had made a mistake to reveal herself before to the girl, and knew now that Tara had to learn to trust her from a distance before she could find a way to love her.

As she watched her sleeping, Willow thought of more ways to connect to the girl. She knew Faith and Anya had befriended her, but she didn't want to use them to get to Tara unless it was a last resort. "Sleep, my love. I know we'll find our way back to each other," Willow whispered softly, before walking away from the younger girl.

* * *

Standing in her home, Willow stared out her window as her thoughts turned to Tara. She knew she had to find a way to connect to the girl. Too make her feel comfortable enough not to panic when she saw her true form. Her Tara had always trusted someone's heart. If she could get this Tara to see her heart then she knew she could get her to love her.

With her thoughts running wild, Willow walked down the stairs to find Anya and Faith. "I need your help," she admitted when she saw Faith sparing with Angel and Spike.

"What's wrong, Red?" Faith asked, turning to Willow.

"I need to find a way to get her to trust me, but hiding out in the shadows isn't going to help. I need to have her see me without seeing this," she explained, pointing at her veiny face.

"Red, you said yourself only she can break the spell. How are we suppose to help her see the you underneath?"

Willow frowned at Faith's words. "I need you and Anya to bring Tara to the park tomorrow. I'm going to be in the shadows again, but this time I'll be partially visible. I want her to see me, but not to fear me," Willow tried to explain, hoping Faith understood what she was saying.

"You've been talking to her," Faith realized. "But she hasn't seen you."

Willow nodded, looking down at her veiny hands. "I want her to know I won't hurt her. That's why I've been talking to her. Watching over her," Willow said. "I've only talked to her once, but she didn't see me. I've told her that I wouldn't hurt her."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to do this now, Will? I mean if she only talked to you once, won't she recognize you from when you attacked her father?" Angel asked, staring at Willow.

"No. I was full blown Dark Willow then. I'm going to do what I can to make my eyes green, force my magicks back enough that she sees my normal eye color."

"Can you handle this?" Spike wondered, frowning at the witch.

"I don't know."

Faith frowned. "Willow, I don't think you should do something your not sure of. If you don't know how Tara will react to this then maybe we should wait until she trusts you."

"We can't wait anymore, Faith. I can't live like this any longer. I refuse to continue fighting with the darkness inside of me any longer," Willow said, turning to look at Angel and Spike. "Will you go get Anya?" she asked them, wanting them to leave the room.

Willow watched as they left before turning to Faith. "If I go crazy, I need your promise that you'll do whatever you can to kill me, Faith. I don't know if it'll be possible, but I need to know you'll stop me."

Faith's frown deepened, but she nodded. "I'll do what I can," she promised, watching Willow. "How much longer do you think you can hold out?"

"I don't know. It was easier when I didn't feel Tara. I was just Willow, hiding behind the appearance of my darkest side. Now that I feel her, the darkness in me is fighting for a way out. The curse is bringing out that part of me that I had control of for so long and I'm not sure I'll be able to fight it much longer," Willow explained.

Faith nodded again. "I'll do what I can to stop you, Red."

"Thank you," Willow whispered, before turning to face Anya as she came into the room.

"What did you want? You interrupted my personal time," Anya complained coming to stand beside Faith.

"I need you to bring Tara to the park tomorrow. I want to try to talk to her with her seeing me," Willow explained, looking at the blond.

"That's all you had to tell me?" Anya said in irritation. "This couldn't wait until I was done with my 'me' time?"

"Get over it," Faith snapped, turning to face Anya. "We're here to help her. Not to have fun."

"Doesn't mean we can't do both," Anya muttered, glaring at Faith before turning back to Willow. "You're going to talk to Tara?"

"I'm going to try," Willow told her.

"Oh. Won't she freak out at the scary sight of you?" Anya asked bluntly.

"Yes. It's why she won't see me completely. I'm going to hide in the shadows enough that she can't see the veins," Willow explained.

Anya nodded and looked at Faith to see a troubled look in her eyes. "What am I missing?" Anya asked, knowing there was something Willow hadn't told her.

"If I don't end this curse soon, I may become Dark Willow again," Willow said simply, looking at Anya.


	9. Chapter Eight: Secrets Revealed

**Chapter Eight: Secrets Revealed**

Anya stared at Willow for a long time in silence before finally breaking it. "What?" she asked, a frown forming on her face.

"I may become-"

"I heard you the first time. I thought you were in control! You said that the coven taught you how to control the darkness. You've had over a century to practice that!" Anya snapped.

"It's not something you can control," Willow told her softly. "It's only something you can repress."

"And you've been repressing it for years," Anya realized, looking at her old friend. "I'm surprised you're still able to repress it."

"I'm not going to be able to much longer. I've already almost lost it once when I was with her. Now I'm having a hard time containing it," Willow explained.

"We just need to finish this. We need to get her to love you," Faith said, not looking at anyone.

"I know."

At Willow's words, Faith lifted her brown eyes to look into Willow's black ones. "Let's get this done," Faith muttered, then walked out of the house to find Tara with Anya right behind her.

* * *

Watching from the shadows, Willow couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips at the sight of Tara walking through the park with Faith and Anya. The blonde had a huge smile on her lips and was currently laughing at something Anya had said.

When Tara walked over to her tree, Anya and Faith gave her a quick hug and walked off, leaving the blonde alone at her tree. "I know you're here," Tara said, after Anya and Faith left.

_I expect you do_, Willow told her, using her mind to communicate once again.

"Why don't you ever talk? I only hear you in my mind," Tara asked, confused by the voice in her head.

_I want to show myself, but I fear how you will react. I don't want you to run away from me._

"Why would I?" Tara wondered, looking around for the person hidden in the trees.

_I look like a monster, but I'm not one. I've been cursed._

"Why should I believe you?" Tara asked, frowning.

_You shouldn't. I use to be a monster. I can become one again if I'm not careful. I've been fighting the monster inside of me for a long time now._

"Why do you fight it? If you were once a monster?" Tara questioned.

_I don't like the person I was at that time. I hurt my friends, my family. I killed a man who was more of a monster, but I regret what I did. I don't want to be a monster_, Willow admitted, stepping to the edge of the shadows so Tara could see the outline of her body.

"So you killed someone?" Tara said, surprised.

_Yes_.

"Why?"

_He killed the woman I loved,_ Willow told her, stepping forward another step so Tara could see part of her face.

"Take another step," Tara requested, moving closer to the hidden witch.

_Will you promise not to panic when you see me?_

"I refuse to promise anything," Tara told her, watching her.

Willow just nodded slightly, knowing Tara could see the movement, before stepping forward enough that Tara could see her face. Her green eyes shinning in the darkness that was her face.

"You," Tara whispered, stepping back.

"Yes, it's me. I won't hurt you though. I'm not a monster. I look like one, but I'm not," Willow informed her, not moving towards the retreating blonde.

"Y-you att-tacked my f-family. You tr-tried to k-kill my fa-fa-father," Tara accused, cursing her stutter.

"I was protecting you," Willow told her, not moving from her spot at the edge of the woods. "I felt your fear. I saw him holding you against a wall, saw you shivering from fear, and I got mad. I attacked."

"He's my father. You had no right trying to kill my father," Tara said, feeling confused and scared.

Willow, finally having enough of the blonde's fears and accusations, stepped forward, walking over to the young girl. "I had every right to try and kill him," she told her, stopping a few paces from her. "I am here to protect you."

"Protect me? Protect me from what?" Tara asked, taking a step back, afraid of the dark witch standing in front of her.

"From the monsters in this world. From the demons that want to take away your light," Willow whispered, frowning at the girl in front of her.

"Why do you want to protect me?" Tara wondered, staring at Willow.

"Because you remind me of someone I will always love," Willow admitted, looking into Tara's striking blue eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you Gimpy72 for betaing this chapter. **


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